First, pastors must start a ministry from a biblical understanding and a thorough
Missional Pastoral Leadership Gospel P. 2 World P. 5 Self- Awarenes s P. 1 Church P. 3 + P. 4
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awareness of the nature of the church. In missional ecclesiology, a church is not a building or a
worship place but a people. As such, the reason for the existence of the church and its direction
lie not in the external expansion of the church but in the identity of the congregation. This is a
recognition that the church is not just a religious institution that fulfills the spiritual needs of
individuals, but is a witness of the gospel that exists for the realization of the kingdom of God in
the community. Missional churches must present a missional identity in which individual saints
perceive themselves as missionaries and live a missional life in the world.
In this regard, Bonhoeffer said that the more mature the church, the more it should be “the church for others.”172 In other words, a mature church does not seek self-preservation but is
an unselfish church that serves and loves the world and lives as a witness of the gospel. In fact,
in the process of pursuing these essential visions and values, the church can suffer many risks
and inconveniences. A good example can be found in Newsong Church,173 for this church has been willing to embark on a journey of ongoing adventure.
Newsong Church began in Irvine, CA, one of the richest and safest cities in the United
States. Newsong Church was once the fastest growing church in the United States and the largest
172 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison (New York: Touchstone, 1997), 382. 173 Lee Sang-hoon, Re_form Church: American Missional Churches that Lead the Revolution (Seoul:
Church Growth Institute, 2015), 201-215. This book is a case study report of ten North American churches based on the author’s missiological perspective and missional church principles. Ten selected churches are new church models that stand out in their respective areas. The ten churches are as follows: Model 1_ Christian Assembly “Tradition and Values,” Model 2_ MOSAIC “Culture and Art,” Model 3_Quest Church “Social Justice,” Model 4_ Dream Center “Serving the Community,” Model 5_ Austin Stone Community Church “Network,” Model 6_ Reality LA in Hollywood “Deep Worship,” Model 7_ SOMA Community “Community,” Model 8_ Rock Harbor Church “Creation and Innovation,” Model 9_ New City Church of LA “City Mission,” and Model 10_ Newsong Church “Discipleship.”
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mainstream church of Asian Americans. Of course, all of this was possible because there was an
excellent pastor named Dave Gibbons. Gibbons was born to a Korean-American mother and a
white father. He grew up in Korea, but was educated in America as a child. His face is Asian, but
he was culturally an American. When Gibbons was in his teenage years, he received Jesus and
went to Bob Jones University, a Christian school, but his inner conflict with his identity became
more intense. In particular, Bob Jones University, which was deeply rooted in fundamentalist
theology, stuck to strict conservatism until 2000 and prohibited inter-racial dating. Gibbons, however, was interested in white women, criticized the school’s racist policies, and was asked to
leave the school.
This was only the beginning. His parents divorced. His father was the local church leader,
and his mother, whose life was miserable and difficult, was hit by a drunk driver. In the face of
the death of his mother, who was the primary object of his compassion and love, Gibbons could
not control his boiling anger and sorrow. He was deeply disappointed in the church that gave no
answer to this misfortune. In a church that did not know how to treat a divorced Asian woman,
his mother was only a misfit. Surprisingly, in this time of desperation, Gibbons was called by God. Gibbons prayed and asked, “Why did God make himself like this?” In such an agony, he
dreamed of a church for misfits and the marginal.174
174 In fact, on the homepage of the Newsong Church website, the following introduces the church: Our
vision hasn’t changed in over 20 years. It boils down to two commands: “Love God. Love People.” That’s it. It’s that simple. When they asked Jesus “Who’s my neighbor?” He answered with the story of the Good Samaritan; his neighbor was the MOST UNLOVABLE person in that culture. The outcast. The misfit. The “other.” As a church, we define neighbor the same way. While it may be easier to only spend time with people that are just like us, we are committed to a beautiful experience of multi-cultural diversity where we intentionally “do life” with the
“other.” The one that looks and believes differently. The one that may be from a different neighborhood, have a different lifestyle and even financial status. We believe that because we are all created in God’s image, there is no
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In 1994, Newsong Church began with seven saints who gathered at Gibbons’ house with
this vision. Since then the church has grown at an astounding rate. In particular, the
straightforward messages that persuasively dealt with realistic problems, and Gibbons’ style of
sharing life in an open position quickly absorbed the young Asian-Americans at nearby
universities and surrounding churches. The Easter evangelism event in 2005 at the Anaheim
Convention Center was an event that influenced the growth of Newsong Church. About 5,000
people gathered around a huge stage that was armed with a digital signboard and a laser. As soon
as the church growth reached its peak, a huge amount of land for sale was desired for purchase
by the church to build a new building to accommodate the major growth of this church. The
fundraising campaign was successful, and more than five million dollars were donated, but the
land went elsewhere. Thankfully, this incident awakened Gibbons from the illusion of numerical
growth and massive expansion.
Then, one of Newsong’s first major investors invited him to Thailand to start a church
there. Gibbons felt God telling him to go. Seeking a good opportunity to get away and perhaps
gain some clarity, he left for the country in 2005. When he returned to Newsong in Irvine a year
later, he realized the importance of respecting the local community and the importance of people.
The time in Thailand changed his ministry and the direction of the Newsong Church. First, he
was transformed into pursuing a ministry that focused on the essentials rather than the big and
splendid. The value of “small is the new big” has boldly given up concentration on buildings,
brilliant brands, or mass-focused ministry, and instead focused on equipping a few dedicated
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leaders. Second, he realized that love is much more important than preaching. In the past, he had
focused on ministry to attract people with magnificent sermons, he now became more interested in people’s pain and suffering. Third, the focus shifted from numerical growth to people. If he
had focused on individual gifts and abilities for church growth in the past, he now had a new
perspective on the power of personal suffering. Fourth, the resources used for programs, events,
and buildings, based on pragmatism, were now invested in growing people. Newsong church
invests more than 70% of the church resources to train and grow people. Fifth, Newsong Church
considers the minority, the weak, and the people on the verge of disaster to be the subjects of the
most important ministry.175
Based on this ministry philosophy, Gibbons began to suggest leaving the rich Irvine area
where the church was located, and going to the Santa Ana area, a poor neighborhood. Eventually
he proclaimed that the church would move from Irvine to Santa Ana in the future, and his radical
message and ministry began to cause panic. More than 30 percent of the saints left the church at
the time. For a while, the church experienced difficulties because of the people who had left the
church. The financial pressure of losing the saints was severe.
In December 2014, Newsong Church faced an important turning point in ministry. They
moved from Irvine, the richest, most stable and livable city in the United States, to Santa Ana, a
relatively poor city. This was done through a merger with a traditional Baptist church in Santa
Ana. The Baptist church had more than 100 years of tradition, but with a shrinking membership
175 Michelle Woo, “Dave Gibbons Is a Church Misfit,” OC Weekly, Accessed September 8, 2011,
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and an aging congregation, the church was no longer able to maintain its building. In this
situation, the church was impressed by the service and dedication of Newsong Church, which
had been serving Santa Ana for many years. Newsong Church could have used the Baptist
church as a campus for multisite churches. However, Newsong Church decided to relocate the
church completely. This was a very dangerous challenge for church growth. The distance from
the old church to the new church took about 30 minutes by car, and the new church buildings
were built in a traditional older style.
Picture 1: Worship Service in Newsong Church, Santa Ana, CA.
However, Newsong Church made decisions based on vision and calling rather than
success and convenience. Thankfully, something amazing happened from the start. The dying
traditional church survived. When Newsong moved the place of worship, they expected
attendance to be reduced by at least hundreds of worshipers, but this forecast was incorrect. The
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various races, and the enthusiasm in worship was increased by their passion. The worship scene
where autonomy and tradition met was one that is typically unattainable. In the end, the true
church was again confirming the old truth that it was not a building. The real church again made
it clear that it was defined by the identity of the congregation in the community.
In this sense, the change in Newsong Church is a good example of what the nature of the
church is. Newsong chose adventure according to the nature of the church, rather than following
another mega church. In the process of pursuing true value, the church risked and lost some
members and some convenience. It is clear, however, that the church is not an institution for the convenience and benefit of people, but a missional community seeking God’s will. This can be
recognized as a journey of a true missional church.
Principle 2: Missional Pastoral Leadership has a Holistic Worldview that Understands the